Open Thread: Why signing bench players isn’t worth it

Geoff Blum, he of the .242/.299/.368 batting line since 2004 (2,390 plate appearances), signed a two-year deal worth $2M with the Diamondbacks today. Two years, $2M. He’ll turn 38 in April. Again, two years, $2M. Sure, he can play all over the field, but his UZR’s are negative pretty much everywhere. For roughly the league minimum, Ramiro Pena or Eduardo Nunez will suck just as much. Having a good bench is a tremendous advantage, but Blum represents the kind of help that’s out there. It’s awful, which is why going in-house or making trades for reserves is the way to go.

Anyway, here’s tonight’s open thread. MNF has the Eagles at the Redskins, plus you’ve also got the Rangers, Devils, and Nets in action. Chat about whatever you like, just don’t be a dick.

“The Brewers priority right now is to get any kind of high end pitching because that’s what they lack so much, and I’m sure that if you called Doug Melvin and offered, you know, prospects like a Casey Kelly, like a Stephen Strasburg, like a Madison Bumgarner, you’re going to get their attention.”

My policy certainly doesn’t extend to bunnies. I find them to be adorable.

ROBTEN

I know that we all joke around a lot about Casey Kelly, but is that sentence serious? I mean, is Kelly really in the same conversation as Strasburg and Bumgarner? How much of this is real and how much is simply a runaway train the size of the Chrysler Building of hype?

Big Juan

He could be the best prospect in the history of ever. But he has yet to pitch one single major league inning. Therefor that sentence is batshit insane.

ROBTEN

To be clear, I totally agree. It seems entirely batshit insane to me too to make that comparison. I just figured I’d be open to the possibility that there’s something more to the hype than just the probability that Kelly’s is the only name that anyone can remember.

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com bexarama

To be fair, many teams would’ve traded pretty much anyone for Strasburg before he pitched a single major league inning. Even ignoring his poor year this year, Kelly is not at that level – not even close.

bigjuan

Oh absolutely. But I still think it would have been incorrect to put him in the sentence as other established young starters as Olney did there. Maybe that’s just me.

ROBTEN

It just makes Olney’s comparison doubly ridiculous.

Strasburg — a polished, college pitcher with a high 90s fastball, able to step almost instantly into a ML rotation (and did).

Bumgarner — a left-hander who throws in the mid-90s and has 19 ML starts to a 136 ERA+.

Kelly — a right-handed converted shortstop with a high-80s/low-90s fastball and two “potential” plus pitches who hasn’t yet pitched above AA (and who struggled at that level).

Kelly may be extremely talented, but there seems to be nothing but hype to put him in the same category. Of course, if there’s something I’ve missed about Kelly, then I’d be willing to listen. I just can’t find anything that backs up the kind of hype he receives.

Accent Shallow

But he has plus command!

Avi

He’s yet to have an ERA below 5.00 higher than class A.

Big Juan

Not that anyone needs to point it out, but Avi’s logic is so severely misguided in that entire disaster of an argument that it’s laughable.

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com bexarama

No kidding, but I pretty much figured that had been covered. I just get super pissed when people say OMG I (or any straight girl/gay guy) can’t be objective about baseball because I find players attractive and/or like them. It’s not cool.

(Obligatory ponytail numb nuts joke)

bigjuan

Well it just doesn’t make sense. I think Cano is the most awesome player in the entire world. Essentially, I find my man crush not that different from your admiration of Pettitte. Does that mean I’m incapable of objectivity as well?

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com bexarama

Well presumably you don’t wanna do, uh, stuff with Cano.

… I’m not helping my argument am I.

http://twitter.com/#!/GearCity bigjuan

Well…no

(Is this awkward now? I think it’s awkward…)

first time lawng time

I just learn to laugh at it. I mean, you are probably more knowledgable and into baseball than I am, but I;ll admit I am biased due to looks. I’m not gona lie, I want Cano to win the MVP over Hamilton, because I think he’s cuter. That said, I know Hamilton had a better year and I won’t ignore the facts.

Anyway my point is that a lot of people are ignorant and are quick with stereotypes that you just gotta learn to laugh at it and find the humor.

I really am not sure where I went with this post, sorry.

http://www.facebook.com/cecala Joseph Cecala

Sometimes I feel the BWAA votes with your logic.

Avi

Bex, I wasn’t suggesting you can’t be objective with Pettitte. Just that if you have an extra liking for a player for whatever reason, on top of what he contributes to the Yankees winning (which you clearly do with Andy) you might have more reason for being upset with the person most responsible for letting him go (Cashman).
I personally LOVE Arod. From ’96 he’s been my favorite player in the game. So when the Yanks got him I was excited that the yankees got a Juggernaut force but more so that my favorite player was now playing for MY team.

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com bexarama

The person most responsible for Andy leaving was Andy, though. Not Cashman. And I am glad we agree re: A-Rod.

The person most responsible for Andy leaving was that tawdry slut Laura Pettitte, who had to go and get pregnant repeatedly and trap Andy into having a family in God-forsaken Texas that would pull his loyalty away from the Yankees and from me. I hate that trollop. Andy deserves so much better than that.

Some people are never satisfied. Also, I’ll preempt the inevitable post by someone else and say that instead of using the “@T-Dubs” it’s easier to hit the “Reply” button under the post you want to respond to. Makes the train of thought easier to follow.

But yea, ECKSTEIN!!!

king of fruitless hypotheticals

LETS GO EAGLES!!! i need 70 point tonight from maclin. i think he needs to bust out 200 yd receiving with 3 TD’s and another 100 yds rushing with another 2 TD.

stupid game.

mbonzo

I need 50 points from McCoy!

ultimate913

So the Hot Stove was talking about why and why not Lee should join the Yankees.

Why not: (Texas) Does he really want to be with an aging crew of A-Rod,Posada,Jeter and Pettitte? It’s not really about the money, is it? Re-sign with Texas, we have a younger team. We(well you) took us to the World Series.

Why: The Yankees go to the postseason more than any team. Money!

About the Why not, Posada is gone after this season as is Pettitte(if he returns). Yes, it is about the money. The carrying thing could be a problem. Do you expect Lee to be that great every postseason? No. While on the Yankees, you’re playing with HOF’s. Anyone can and is more likely to carry the team. Wouldn’t you want to watch A-Rod chase history, as his teammate?

Phew. I got that outta my system.

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com bexarama

Yeah, IIRC MLBN Hot Stove flat-out, definitively said last week that the Rangers would be better than the Yankees in five years. Is there a chance? Sure. Is it stupid to like, guarantee something that will happen in five years? Absolutely. The 2015 rosters of the Yankees and Rangers won’t be the same as their 2010 rosters, to say the least.

mbonzo

No… because Cliff Lee will be on it.

JAG

How are they going to predict what the rosters are going to look like in 2015 anyway? I think…the Yankees actually have the MOST players still under contract that long. Kinsler, Young, Cruz, Hamilton…basically everyone but Andrus will have already been a free agent by then.

Heck, there’s probably a breakout star for one of those teams who isn’t even out of high school yet. 5 years is way too far to predict.

mbonzo

To be quite honest, I know I’ll be one of the few to say this, but I’d rather have Arod for the next 6 years than Hamilton for his next 6 years. I’m sure Arod’s numbers will drop off somewhat, but I have more faith in him than Hamilton. From the pictures I’ve seen of him, I don’t think he’s over his drug issues. I would say there is more of a chance of Hamilton falling off the horse than Arod becoming a useless old player.

All the other guys are signed into their mid 30’s which is about where old starts. Think the Yankees will be contenders for at least 10 years with their current farm system, hopefully everything stays the same with George gone.

mbonzo

Also, signing Cliff Lee means that they won’t be able to hold onto guys like Hamilton and Cruz in the next few years when they want some real money. Their starting pitching is a much larger question mark in the future than the Yankees, even if they happened to get Cliff Lee.

George

I’m just going to say that the dollar amount isn’t as offensive to me as the contract length; you really had to offer that second year to get Blum? Were there really so many teams jockeying for his services?

FIPster Doofus

The Kevin Towers era has begun inauspiciously.

Andrew

I always love the reminder to not be a dick

Dick

I always take it personally.

Sweet Dick Willie

Me too.

nostra-artist

He didn’t say anything about being an asshole, so I always feel like I’m in the clear.

Monteroisdinero

Greg Golson thanks you for this thread.

first time lawng time

I really hope Cano wins the MVP award. I think he had a great year. And while Hamilton’s year was better, I’m just biased because I like Cano. Basically, If Hamilton wins I won’t be disappointed, because he obviously deserves it, but I would like Cano to win, just because he’s my favorite.

bigjuan

I hear you. But for the validity of the postseason awards, I’d like Hamilton to win because it’s what’s right. Similar to how I feel about the Cy Young. Clearly I’d love CC to win, but it’s not right. If that make sense.

first time lawng time

It does make sense. But for the Cy Young, I really really want Hernandez to win it, because he’s one of my favorites AND he clearly had the best year in the AL. However, if CC wins, I won’t be upset.

I’ll be pissed if Price wins though.

bigjuan

Seconded on Price.

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com bexarama

I can’t wait til Buchholz gets votes =|

Fellow Reader

Miggy Cab who played half his games in Comerica, and had to carry a lineup as the only stud (Hamilton plays along side several) still managed to post a higher OPS+ than Hamilton who everybody acts like is so obviously deserving of teh award. Yes, I know voters love the whole playoffs thing, but that is not what the award is supposed to be about IMHO…

I wouldn’t have a problem if Miggy beat out both Hamilton and Cano. He was in beastmode all year. It’s not his fault that the rest of his team sucked.

Avi

“Bill Ladson of MLB.com has confirmed that the Nationals have interest in trading for Dan Uggla.
According to Ladson, the Marlins are asking for a pitcher and help behind the plate. The Nationals acquired Wilson Ramos from the Twins last July, though he is unlikely to be included in any deal. If healthy, Jesus Flores could be a possibility. Multiple teams are interested in Uggla at the moment, though the Blue Jays are considered the early favorite.
Source: Bill Ladson on Twitter”

Hmm a pitcher and help behind the plate. Two areas where we have a lot of depth. I think we can fill that order.
I think the Yankees are a better team with Uggla at 2nd and Cano at SS than Jeter at SS and Cano at 2nd.
Agree?

first time lawng time

Considering Jeter is not a great short stop (in my opinion, I’m too lazy to look up the actual stats) I’m gona go with yes.

But I don’t want to trade for every superstar on the market. I’d rather develop our own players.

bigjuan

First of all, you can’t cite something by saying Bill Ladson on Twitter.

Second of all. What? Cano was moved off of SS for a reason. And that reason was not to entertain bizarre trade proposals such as this.

Cano has a better arm than Jeter with a quicker release, his hands are just as good and when it comes to range it would be hard to go with Jeter against almost any middle IF.
Think about it. What play does Jeter make that Cano can’t?

http://twitter.com/cephster Ross in Jersey

It’s not that simple. Why do you think Cano was moved from short in the first place? It doesn’t even matter, because the Yankees aren’t getting rid of Jeter, period.

nostra-artist

Exactly. Cano played SS in the minors and they moved him to 2B because they felt he couldn’t hack it. Why would anyone think he’s better defensively now as a bulked up 28 year old than he was as a skinny 20 year old kid?

Troy v

Cano also played 3rd in the minors and in 2012 if good 2nd baseman hit free agency maybe they pick one up and move Cano to 3rd…it doesn’t reguire the speed and atheleticsm ss does and Cano definatley has the arm…then Arod can DH.

bigjuan

Jeter’s strength is his range going right. Cano has the same strength. As I recall, Cano is weaker going left. As is Jeter. Cano’s arm is great obviously. As far as the double play. Jeter still turns it at short as well as anyone, so I don’t see Cano as any significant upgrade there.

So essentially, you get slightly better or stay the same by moving Cano to short and you get significantly worse defensively by plugging Uggla in at second.

I see no benefit to this scenario.

Avi

“I see no benefit to this scenario.”
what about the difference in bat between Uggla and Jeter??

Morbid curiosity is compelling me to want to ask Avi what pitcher and catcher he thinks we could use to acquire Dan Uggla from the Marlins, but my better judgment is telling me I probably don’t want to know.

http://twitter.com/Carlosological Carlosologist

You have to be bullshitting.

Avi

I’ll tell you what Tommie. Why don’t you tell us the type of package Uggla will bring back and I’ll do the same and we’ll see who’s closer? You know your prospects. Gimme names.

No, because I’m smart enough to know not to trade for Uggla in the first place. I’m not helping your fool’s errand. No thanks.

nostra-artist

Heh…”fools errand”. I always loved that phrase.

Avi

“Morbid curiosity is compelling me to want to ask Avi what pitcher and catcher he thinks we could use to acquire Dan Uggla from the Marlins, but my better judgment is telling me I probably don’t want to know.”

But you’re saying, what you think it would take to get Uggla is different from what I think. So tell us who it’s gonna be.

Maybe a trade could work, but another team would have to get involved. That team would receive Uggla, while the Yanks give prospects to the Marlins, while the third team sends something to the Yankees.

You can forget the Yankees and Blue Jays trading directly. So what would the Nats(or any other team interested in Uggla) give the Yankees, that the Yankees need?

Seeing as how the Marlins would be giving up Uggla and receiving prospects (either from the Yankees or from a third party), I fail to see what this has to do with anything. The Marlins don’t need to have anything worth trading for, they’re trading something AWAY. Uggla.

http://twitter.com/#!/GearCity bigjuan

If you’re excluding the presumably unattainable (Johnson, Ramirez) I probably agree. Though a deal for Nolasco could intrigue me at the right price.

Accent Shallow

Nolasco intrigues me, but he sounds like Javy Vazquez Part III, unfortunately.

http://janeheller.mlblogs.com/yank_c.jpg T-Dubs

Haha. I had been sort of a cursory observer of the anti-Avi movement, and I still choose not to contribute to the ridicule of another poster, but I get it. I get it.

It’ll be good if Campbell is fired, which has been long overdue. No guarantee that happens, though, unfortunately.

yankees1717

just realized that yovani gallardo on the nl silver slugger with a .254/.329/.508 line with four homers. they should actually use him as a ph for some of their other pitchers, and maybe even position players. (not sure if i’m serious)

http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa

He was worth 0.5 fWAR as a hitter. Same as Brad Hawpe, Rick Ankiel, and Melvin Mora.

bigjuan

That is a fun fact.

http://www.twitter.com/jordansmed JGS

A lot of that is positional adjustment though. A replacement level pitcher bat is horrendous. He only had 72 PAs.

http://twitter.com/Carlosological Carlosologist

I would have gone with Dan Haren with the SS at pitcher. He hit .364/.375/.527 before the trade.

first time lawng time

Is he the guy that Michael Kay was saying was the best hitter on the Diamondbacks and then he got outraged when they took him out for a real pinch hitter when his pitch count was like 105? lol

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com bexarama

pitchers as a whole hit 16 HR this year, he had 4 of them, he’s also the only pitcher who ever hit a HR off Randy Johnson

yankees1717

beat every other team’s pitchers by himself! ruthlike!

first time lawng time

So there’s a new episode of House on tonight. Anyone watching? If you’ve never seen it, I reccomend it. It’s actually a pretty good show. (in my opinion anyway)

bigjuan

Great show. I haven’t been able to watch in so long that I’d feel weird jumping back in. At some point I hope to get the last few seasons and catch up.

first time lawng time

Yeah I hadn’t watched it (other than the really old reruns on USA) in a really long time, but I watched it last Monday and I was fine.

Basically they don’t have a female doctor on the team anymore because the girl that replaced Chase left. Also, Cuddy and House are dating.

Other than that everything’s pretty much the same.

bigjuan

I figure they’ll eventually bring Wilde back. They have to right?

first time lawng time

Probably. I’m not really sure why she left though.

http://www.twitter.com/jordansmed JGS

Ooh, thanks for the reminder

http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa

I haven’t watched it regularly in a few years. Once the focus shifted to the stuff away from the medicine, it got lame. Really, once they got rid of Chase, Cameron, and Eric the first time.

first time lawng time

Yeah I started up again last week and it was good.

Chase and Eric are still there though. Cameron and her replacement are gone though.

I saw the promo for this episode and it looks pretty good.

Accent Shallow

What kind of action could I get that the 2011 RoY is not someone on this list?

In Ines Sainz’s defense, she’s not the one who complained about the chauvinistic actions of the Jets, it was the other female journalists present who complained. Sainz didn’t force this issue. Others did on her behalf, without her consent.

Dick

C’mon, she milked it (no pun intended) when she raced to GMA and the Today Show saying things like, “I don’t think I need to change. They are going to change.”

I’m in no disagreement. Favre should be suspended, even if they can’t prove that he sent the cellphone wang pics, because he’s admitted to the non-pictorial text messages, which Sterger clearly didn’t welcome. Those other texts already crossed the line; the cockshots simply obliterated the pre-crossed line.

He sexually harassed a fellow NFL employee, and he should be punished for that in some way.

http://janeheller.mlblogs.com/yank_c.jpg T-Dubs

“I’m not saying you’re a whore, but you are wearing a whore’s uniform.”

Fun Fact: Both the Atlanta Braves and Washington Redskins began their franchise lives in Boston.

Fun Fact #2: The Cleveland Indians were also named in an attempt to capture on the popularity of the then Boston Braves franchise. Boston is thus tangentially responsible for three of the most demeaning and controversial sporting mascots remaining in the country.

http://twitter.com/kschmidt2 Kiersten

Doesn’t that just make you feel so much better about the whole A.J. Burnett thing?

McNabb-to-Galloway would have been a dynamite TD connection… during the Clinton administration.

https://twitter.com/Carcillo_ Carcillo

This game reeks of the Redskins MNF showing against the Giants last year.

Actually, this game has been even more humiliating.

Mark L

Strongly disagree with that premise — the Yanks had no one in AAA capable of doing what Jose Molina, Jerry Hairston and Eric Hinske did in 2009, both on offense and defense. If the Yanks feature a 2011 bench of Golson, Russo/Curtis, Nunez, Cervelli and Pena — I will be very disappointed. Reminds me too much of the hollow teams of 2004-2008 with no one ever getting rest because none of our bench players could even crack a .600 OPS.

Accent Shallow

But the difference is that Hairston/Hinske were available cheaply at the trade deadline. There’s very little reason to lock guys like that up early.

Having a good bench is a tremendous advantage, but Blum represents the kind of help that’s out there. It’s awful, which is why going in-house or making trades for reserves is the way to go.

The Angels, Reds, and Pirates spent money to acquire depth/bench pieces in Molina, Hairston, and Hinske; when those investments proved to be sunk costs that weren’t likely to help the team, they foisted them off on the Yankees for marginal prospects and/or salary relief. The Angels, Reds, and Pirates spent poorly; the Yankees built a bench wisely.

Mark L

What we saw last season, with accomplished vets in their mid-30s going jobless until late February is likely to continue. In principle, we need to be open to unconventional thinking if the New Year rolls around and someone like Magglio Ordonez or Troy Glaus has to choose between early retirement and being a part-timer for the Yanks.

But those players, even in February, will still sign with some other org that will offer them slightly more money and slightly more playing time.

Mark L

You can’t always rely on versatile, productive guys to be available in July. No one with Thames skill-set was available for cheap at the deadline and he was our only real protection against LHP for long stretches. Kearns and Berkman didn’t exactly knock the cover off the ball and we gave up more than we probably should have.

Not suggesting him, but it is a lot smarter to get someone like Wigginton for $1.5 million in December than it is to give up a prospect with decent upside for 2 months of work.

Other than Montero, Laird is probably the only guy in the upper minors capable of hitting at the ML level in 2011.

The infield is aging and the outfield is vulnerable to LHP — lets try to bolster the lineup rather than see who we can get for the pennies left in the ashtray in February (Winn).

You are aware that starters earn more than bench players, right? Why would Wigginton, or any starter, for that matter, sign as a bench player w/ the Yankees when he could earn more as a starter elsewhere?

This is part of the problem Cash has in building a bench – the players he would like to sign have the ability to start, and thus earn more, for another team.

Stratman9652

Just throwing this in here as a statement and not an arguement, Berkman may not have knocked the cover off the ball during the season but damn was he valuable when Tex went down in the post season. You don’t lose much by sticking Puma at 1st. Can you imagine the last few games if they had to have Swish at 1st and Kearns or Golson or *shudders* Thames in right? Not to mention the fact that Lance pretty much did rip the cover off the ball in the post season even though they mostly went for outs.

In terms of actual value I’m still marveling over the brilliance of that trade.

http://www.riveraveblues.com Mike Axisa

The problem with Wigginton is that he can’t play short, so they’d have to carry Ramiro Pena anyway. That’s two spots on your four man bench dedicated to the infield.

Mark L

Looking at the current free agent market, the Yanks may have to go with Nunez or Pena as the primary reserve at SS. That being said, they should absolutely pursue a more capable hitter who can piece together 60 starts between 3B, 1B, OF or DH. If nothing else, a capable RH bat for the outfield should be a priority, although the trade market seems like a better direction for that need.

Bill

Agreed. The team really needs an OF on the bench. Laird is probably not ready yet which means our 4th OF would be someone like Golson. Maybe the team would use Nunez as a backup INF and OF, but Nunez hasn’t played the OF in a while so not sure if the team would go that route.

I wouldn’t spend much money on a backup OF, but I think the Yankees would be fools to not explore the market and see if they can find another bargain like Thames was this past year.

Troy v

Bill Hall might be good but i know he won’t be around come Jan. or Feb.

Bill

Hall will also get a pretty good deal given his defensive flexibility.

https://twitter.com/Carcillo_ Carcillo

This is Madden-esque.

Big Stein

Redskins (that’s racist) must be chocking on the $40 million extension to McNabb — it’s 35-zip Philly with 3 full quarters left to play.

Big Stein

This just in: AJ Burnett is reliving Donovan McNabb.

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

I just want to thank Mo that the Patriots wrapped up Brady before this McNabb contract went down. I know hope the salary cap is put back in place and Peyton Manning takes up about 74% of it with his new deal, which, by rule, should dwarf McNabb’s. Insane.

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

Speaking of McNabb, is John Feinstein going comment on the extension? Hell, maybe he’ll even try to make credit.

Big Stein

why, what’s up with feinstein?>

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

Says Shanahan should have been fired for benching McNabb, claiming he benched him because of race. Rick Reilly had a pretty good retort on it.

The problem I had with Shanahan is why did he lie? Instead of just saying Donovan wasn’t playing well, which would have been appropriate, he got rather personal by lying and saying Donovan is fat and a slow learner, when there’s never been any evidence of either. Would he had done that with Brett Favre or Roethlisberger? Doubt it.

It was absurd to get that personal. I mean, it’s not like Andy Reid ran a bare bones offensive scheme when Donovan ran his system.

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

I agree with this. Shanny deserves a ton of blame for how he handled it. Feinstein should have just stuck with what you said though.

Big Stein

you I thought about this a little more, it reminded me of how fans used to constantly say Cano was “lazy”. He was never lazy he was just laid back in his demeanor and he made so many difficult plays look routine that fans thought he wasn’t trying. And that’s what I don’t like. People jump to conclusions, and too many times that means old and outdated attitudes.

Ivan

Wow I mean Vick has to be playing a little bit over his head no? I mean he’s throwing the football at Peytonesque level right now for nearly half the season this year.

Maybe ESPN and everyone else underestimated him due to something that had nothing to do with football. The Eagles are a better team than the Falcons before the jail sentence. I bet the other 31 teams are wishing they weren’t so ignorant because the Eagles got this guy dirt cheap.

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

Family Guy ripping on Tim McCarver. Nice.

http://twitter.com/kschmidt2 Kiersten

Again or are you watching an old one?

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

Old one.

http://twitter.com/kschmidt2 Kiersten

That’s one of my favorite Family Guy moments ever.

In my view, as good as the Yankees were in the first half of this game, that’s how as bad they’ve been now.

Anyone else remember watching the Bills come back from 35-3 down to beat the Oilers in the playoffs? It’s not going to happen tonight, but that comeback was even more insane than this would be if the Skins were able to pull it out.

(this is for Riddering because she’s likely not here, but it’s what she would want. ;P)

http://www.facebook.com/cecala Joseph Cecala

Vick made a ton of sacrifices to the football gods.

Oliver Queen

Don’t marginalize his effort, Michael Vick worked his butt off.

Will

Random question…

When does the CY Young, ROY, etc voting take place.

Before or after the postseason.

Avi

before

http://twitter.com/Carlosological Carlosologist

Before the postseason.

Avi

Between Thome, Vlad, Matsui, Damon and even Carlos Pena the Yanks might be able to pick up a decent bat relatively cheap. Anyone think it’s a good idea to bring in one of these guys for a contract between $2-5M?
Vlad will probably end up getting more but the other guys should fall in that range.

T-Dubs: Truly, you have a dizzying intellect.
Avi: WAIT ‘TIL I GET GOING! Where was I?

http://www.twitter.com/jordansmed JGS

Australia

Therefore we should sign…Ryan Rowland-Smith

http://mystiqueandaura.com Steve H

Let’s sign Dunn to play 1st, A-Rod moves to SS, Tex to 3rd. Trade Burnett for Josh Johnson (Burnett has a World Series ring so he can take a young staff under his wing and make them winners). Sign Jeter and trade him for Hanley. Bring in Ozzie Smith to teach Hanley how to play shortstop, then cut Hanley’s pay in half, which helps make room in the budget for King Felix. I know he’s not a free agent, but we’re the Yankees, so we’ll just make Seattle an offer they can’t refuse, like Igawa and $15 million for Hernandez. If they don’t jump at that offer right away, throw in a Derek Jeter “flip play” bobblehead (not signed though. If signed we’ll have them undo the Morrow trade with the Jays and send Morrow to us with Felix).

candyforstalin

that’s a bit unrealistic. burnett has a limited no-trade clause in his contract.

Sean C

You forgot traveling back in time and bringing Bonds circa 2001 to DH for us. WIth Bonds + the short porch (not that he’d need help on cheapie home runs or anything), anything less than a 100HR season out him at DH will be unacceptable, and punishable by banishment to Stalin’s Siberia. And, just for fun we’ll throw in a trade of IPK + Melky for Josh Hamilton (Texas could use pitching since we’re obviously taking Lee from them, and Melky could be a decent replacement for Hamilton).

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com bexarama

You forgot sign Andy Pettitte for whatever he wants, and also he hates all pitching moves that do not work out in advance.

Reggie C.

I FEAR that Michael Vick against the Giants D might very well repeat a 5 TD performance.

Ivan

The only worry is that the Eagles O-line can be very shaky and the Giants as we all know can pass rush with the best of them. However, if Vick is throwing the ball like he’s Brees, then how can any defense stop that.

Ivan

And I ask myself, What were the other NFL teams thinking not at least offering to try to get Vick.

Ivan

As a Eagle fan, it’s kinda hard to watch McNabb right now…

ChrisR

Am I the only one that feels CJ Wilson is a big mouth? It doesn’t bother me, but it is annoying.

http://youcantpredictbaseball.wordpress.com bexarama

I remember on… I think it was actually the day those dumb “apathetic or violent” comments came out, but he was on Twitter crying about how Josh Hamilton gets booed when the Rangers and how he shouldn’t be because OMG he turned his life around! Ugh, booing Hamilton has nothing to do with his past, it’s because he’s the best player on your team by a lot, cry moar

Preston

You mean there are better ways to utilize money than spending on the bench. And here I thought we were going to sign Carl Crawford so that Gardner could be the best pinch runner/defensive outfielder ever, Manny Ramirez to be our right handed pinch hitter, Jim Thome to be our Left handed pinch hitter and trade for Dan Uggla (and sign him to a 5 year 75 million dollar extension) to be our super utility guy.